Freda

Maybe, L, they have nothing to say?

I don't know. I used to be too shy to comment - years ago - but I grew out of that...

The indecent haste to use sires of 'fast' horses has eroded our once proud tradition of the classic/staying horse. Races like the St Leger become irrelevant.

Yes, although winning is always the point of the game! The wee mare found 1200 ( fresh) a tad sharp, and the gelding was lucky to finish in one piece when a portion of the running rail came adrift and took a piece out of his hindleg . Bloody amateurs.

It's easy to be critical.. .but i wouldn't find it easy to repair. The whole operation needs a rethink from top to bottom.

I agree..I know he upsets some, and has caused their departure. but he does bring up some very good topics.

No pressure.....

just wondering about the silence...

Are you sure you don't know my brother? That's the sort of shocker he comes up with regularly..and I should probably rephrase that too..ffs

..and the train of destruction rumbles on....

Agree, great to see. And was there ever any doubt that he would run the trip? Damsire Yamanin Vital.

I heard bits of Winston on the news last night, missed part of it, but - he still keeps plying the same line that all these small courses are not sustainable. He is just blind to the real facts surrounding so many of these clubs. I know Reefton supplied figures to [ I think ] NZTR to show that they, at least, were not a financial drag, but it just goes nowhere. A Hokitika office-holder, a former NZ First member who knew Winston well, had much dialogue with him earlier and was deluded into thinking that Winston would see reason and not require their track to be closed...but to no avail.

Lazy and poorly-informed. What is the worst, is that they seem to have no interest in being informed correctly. Everyone makes mistakes - my old man used to say, those who never made a mistake never made anything. There is no disgrace in getting something wrong, as long as one can accept one's error, and make a genuine attempt to put it right. But they don't.

Sounds great. One year I was at Kurow the footy club ran the bar....not sure if they still do. Just another example of how we have completely dropped the ball.

Mark left NZ for personal reasons, which was a real loss for all of us. His family situation became untenable - I imagine for both parties - so he has relocated. Definitely a plus for HK, and Tom can only benefit as well from having such a superlative model to watch.

Enlighten us when you find it?

The horse has been well looked after, and had his races carefully managed, to the credit of Chipperfield. But, the stock of Darci Brahma, although winning prolifically here, do not, as yet, look stellar in Australia. He does not deserve the bagging he has been getting, he is a very, very good horse. If he isn't up to the tough Aussie competition, well, he certainly isn't the first. The hiding he got in his first run over there couldn't have benefitted a horse who may just be on the delicate side.....and he clearly showed the pressure he felt when turning his head and lugging last time. Sore? possibly...but flattened looks a more likely scenario...and the All Star Mile would not be on my list for him. Something more modest to get his confidence back maybe - but all the best to connections regardless. And why do people jump on the blinkers option? plenty of horses, good and bad, wear them. One knowledgable commentator from way back was very critical of 'blinkers' being termed the 'badge of the cheat' . He reckoned that many good and game horses were not allowed blinkers because of this ill-thought comment. I think Alycidon was the horse he used as his example, one of the best and bravest of his time, but not effective without them.

I struggled to hear, too...but the bits I managed to collate sounded pretty good.

He's over there....so very likely.

It is a beautiful spot, and you're right about the burgeoning population and wealth down in the region. But the infrastructure is woeful, facilities for visiting horses are archaic, and serious money would be required to upgrade stabling, etc. as well as ensuring readily available accomodation for stable staff that doesn't involve camping on course. Not sure that the two or so meetings there would justify such a spend....and getting more racing there outside summertime is probably not a goer, given the weather in wintertime. Magic for skiers, but not for racing!

Anecdotally, there were a surprising amount of people who voted for Peters 'because he saved racing' [ ?? ] and, because he was perceived to be a handbrake on policy. And, of course, because he was going to go with National. Don't forget those donations from some in the 'black hole of Waikato' who supported wholeheartedly the installation of the allweather at Cambridge so their horses could be prepared more easily for their Australian campaigns....all paid for by the PDF and money gleaned from flogging off the assets of small clubs.☹️

Good point. There used to be the Challenge Stks at the Midsummer meeting ( end Jan/Feb) and then the Champagne Stks at Easter....not to mention various handicap 2 year old races throughout the year. Not forgetting the McLean Stakes early in the season and the DJC Champagne on Boxing Day. Now everything has changed, the McLean has long gone, the whole structure is different. We do have those couple of 2 yr old races now, at Riccarton, before the Welcome, well targeted this season by young Daniel Miller. But it isnt easy to attract owners with smartly bred youngsters, the opportunities are definitely reduced. Management seems to be reactive, not proactive.

Given the interest in racing of the average Kiwi....on the bottom.

I'm afraid so. I can't see 'racing' getting much if any traction with the scrambling coalition dramas. I see some calling for a strike, others, a sort of organised 'disobedience' stopping short of a strike. I can't comprehend how, even if all the factions could be syncronised, a strike or similar at this time would have the slightest value to us as a whole.

Yeah....it has been said before - by much better brains than that possessed by moi - that punters' losses are what drives the wheel. Without an increase in what punters are prepared to lose, there will be no improvement in revenue, other than what can be snagged from the taxpayer and increased levies on betting. How the closure of Reefton, Stratford, Gisborne[ or Wairoa ] , Riverton, Kurow, Timaru...etc, etc... is going to suddenly increase the spend of the Kiwi punter is beyond me.....and as well, the pissed-off locals and holiday-makers are not likely to sojourn to Riccarton or Hastings or Dunedin.